


Giovanni's furry little problem

by Justcallmeraina



Category: Epithet Erased (Cartoon)
Genre: I love Werewolves, [SPOILERS FOR THE FIC:] Giovanni's a werewolf, damn this is just me going "my favorite character.. my favorite trope.. combine em..", slight descriptions of violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:47:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27794083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justcallmeraina/pseuds/Justcallmeraina
Summary: Giovanni's acting a little weird.. and Molly wants to get to the bottom of it.
Comments: 18
Kudos: 28





	1. Gio's a little sus

BearTrap is online.

BearTrap: Hey, Boss! Are you still up for the heist tonight? I had to convince my sister to run the store, but she gave in after I bribed her with money

Soup is online.

Soup: that’s tonight?

BearTrap: Yeah, we’ve been planning it for awhile

Soup: I got grounded so I can’t go :(

BearTrap: haven’t you gone out while you were grounded before?

Soup: yeah but mom’s having her “book club” tonight so her and all her friends will be there and they’ll know if I leave

BearTrap: I can come over and hang out with you, then!!

Soup: NO

Soup: my moms not letting me have anyone over either

BearTrap: oh…

Soup: just go without me, k? Dark Star’s in charge

BearTrap: okay

-

Molly didn’t trust Giovanni. Well, she trusted him, but not with this. He had snuck out multiple times before, and he seemed really excited for this.

It didn’t seem like him to insist on going without him, and did he really have a replacement that fast? Something was up, and Molly needed to get to the bottom of it.

She went into her dad’s room, where he was playing some mindless phone game.

“Hey, Dad?” She said.  
“Yeah?” He replied, just barely looking up from his phone.  
“Can I go over to my friend’s house?”  
“Don’t you need to run the store?”  
“No, I asked Lorelai to.”  
“Alrighty, then! Go ahead!”

Molly forced a smile and went downstairs to the shop.

“Where’re you going?” Lorelai asked.  
“I’m going to my friend’s house.” Molly said.  
“Alright, have fun, I guess.”  
“I will…”

Molly left the store and checked her pockets to make sure that she had her phone, and she did.

She started walking to the nearest bus stop. As she walked, she kept getting lost in thought.

Why was Giovanni acting so weird? And why was he being so adamant on being alone?

-

One bus ride later, Molly was standing on Giovanni’s porch.

She was about to ring the doorbell, but the door opened.

She looked up and saw Giovanni. He had a duffel bag over his shoulder, and he looked… off. He normally looked like he could face anything with a smile on his face and a determined attitude, but he didn’t. He looked… worried.

“Oh, jeez! Bear Trap! What’re you doing here?” Giovanni asked, jumping when he noticed Molly.  
“I came to check on you. Are you sure you’re okay?” She asked.  
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, aren’t you supposed to be out doing that heist with the other boys right now?”  
“I am, but you’re more important. Also, aren’t you grounded? Why’re you leaving.”

Giovanni fidgeted with the strap on his duffel bag anxiously. He normally fidgeted with things out of boredom…

“Well, uh… I’m doing an alone mission! I had planned it for awhile, but I forgot that I had planned this too, and I really need to do this and I need to do it before it gets dark, so I really gotta go!”

Giovanni tried to step around Molly. She stepped out of the way, and he ran down the steps.

“You can ask my mom to call someone to pick you up! One of them can drop you off, too! Okay, bye!” Giovanni said, jogging backwards.

He turned around and turned his jog into a sprint as he ran into the woods.

Molly looked at the woods after he went into them, then nervously stepped into his house.

A tall, lanky woman stepped into the living room.

She gasped and ran over to Molly.

“Molly! What’re you doing here? I thought Gio was going out tonight.” She said, shutting the front door.  
“Well, he was supposed to hang out with me and the others, but he was acting weird so I came here to check on him.” Molly said. “I can call someone to pick me up… or I can use the bus to get home.”  
“No, no, you came all the way here, and I wouldn’t want you to have to go home on the bus. And I really wouldn’t trust you driving with Fred, you can stay here overnight.”  
“I really wouldn’t want to intrude…”  
“I don’t mind, and I’m sure Mary won’t, either. I can go ask her right now.”  
“Okay…”

-

After a night spent with Giovanni’s moms, Molly was beginning to become overwhelmed.

Flor- the tall, lanky mom who had welcomed her in- kept offering her snacks and reminding her that her “aura” was green. Mary kept getting too loud, and she kept talking very obnoxiously to Flor.

Molly yawned.

“Are you starting to get tired?” Flor asked.  
“Yeah, I guess I am…” Molly said. “I’m always tired, though.”  
“Well, you should get some sleep.” Flor said. “I can show you to the guest room if you want.”  
“Okay…”

Molly and Flor both got up.

“Night, Molly.” Mary said.  
“Goodnight, Mrs Potage.” Molly said.

Flor walked Molly upstairs and to one of the rooms, and opened the door.

“Just tell me if you need anything, my room’s down the hall.” Flor said, pointing to another door.  
“Thank you.” Molly said.  
“Goodnight, Molly.”  
“Goodnight, Mrs Potage.”

Flor went downstairs, and Molly went into the guest’s room.

She laid down in the bed and wrapped the handknitted blanket around herself.

She laid in the bed for awhile, waiting to hear the sound of a door opening, signifying that Giovanni came home, but it never came.

She pulled the blanket around herself more and fell asleep.

-

Molly woke up and rubbed her eyes. She sat up and got out of bed.

She walked downstairs, but stopped at the last step.

She heard the front door open, then peeked around the wall, and saw Giovanni limping inside, being helped by Mary. Giovanni looked decently beat up, like he might pass out at the tiniest bit of damage dealt. Mary was wearing Giovanni’s bag over her shoulder.

Giovanni looked at the stairs, and locked eyes with Molly. 

“Bear Trap? What’re you doing here?” He asked. 

His voice was quiet, a lot quieter than normal. He also sounded extremely tired, like he hadn’t slept in days.

“Your moms let me stay overnight because they didn’t want me to go home that late.” Molly said. 

Giovanni looked at his mom.

“Mom!” He said. His voice was weak, but there was a hint of annoyance behind it. “I didn’t want her here because it isn’t safe.”  
“Well, she woulda been safer inside than outside! Would you’ve wanted her outside last night?” Mary said.  
“No, but you coulda driven her home.”  
“Would you want me outside last night?”

Giovanni groaned.

“No…” He muttered.  
“Your ma and I thought that it would be better for everyone if she just stayed here.” Mary said, a little softer.  
“I just didn’t want her to be here in the morning.”  
“I thought she woulda been asleep!”  
“I wake up early. I normally have to wake up early to get homework done before my shift.” Molly said.  
“Well, Molly, you can help yourself to anything in the fridge. I need to help Gio with something in his room.” Mary said.  
“Okay…” Molly said.

Molly went into the kitchen, while Mary helped Giovanni down the stairs.

Molly walked over to the fridge and opened it.

She really didn’t like taking things from them, but she did need to eat.

She grabbed a loaf of bread out of the fridge and put two slices into the toaster.

Once they popped up, she put butter on them, put them on a plate and sat at the table.

She ate the toast, then put her plate in the sink and rinsed it off. There were already a few dishes in the sink, so she just left her plate in the sink.

She sat down at the table and pulled her phone out. She had no missed texts or calls from her dad or Lorelai asking why she didn’t come home. Figures.

Then, Flor came downstairs.

“Molly! I forgot you were here, did you eat breakfast yet?” Flor asked.  
“Yes, ma’am, I did. I rinsed my plate off, but I put it in the sink because I didn’t know if the dishes in your dishwasher were clean or not.” Molly said.  
“It’s good you ate, and you don’t have to worry about dishes, you’re our guest.”

Mary came up the stairs and stood next to Flor.

“Jeez, that boy surprises me every time with how he gets injured.” Mary said, half talking to herself, and half talking to Flor.

Molly couldn’t help but get worried at that remark. Giovanni was injured? And he had been this badly injured before?

Mary turned to Molly.

“I can drive you home whenever you want me to.” She said.  
“Okay…” Molly said. “Could you drive me home now…? I don’t want my family to get worried…”

That was a half lie. She just wanted to get home for her shift, but if she wasn’t there for her shift, her family might start to get worried.

“Do you have everything you came here with?” Mary asked.

Molly nodded.

“I didn’t really bring anything besides everything in my pockets, but it’s still in my pockets.” Molly smiled.  
“Alright, c’mon, then.” Mary said.

Mary went out to her car, and Molly followed, waving goodbye to Flor as she exited.

Mary got in the driver’s seat, and Molly started to get in the back seat, but Mary spoke up.

“You can sit in the front. It’s cleaner than the back, anyway.”

Molly shut the back door and got in the passenger’s seat. She buckled her seatbelt, and Mary began driving.

“Hey, uh, what was up with Giovanni…?” Molly asked after a little while of silence.  
“I… shouldn’t tell ya. He’ll tell you himself, when or if he wants to.” Mary said.  
“Okay…”  
“Hey, don’t be too upset. He only just told his other ‘boys,’ and one of ‘em doesn’t know. Ben, I think?”

Molly didn’t quite like having something in common with Ben. But she wanted to respect Giovanni’s privacy, no matter how worried she was.

“Whelp, you’re here. See ya later, Molly.” Mary said, parking in front of the Blyndeff Toy Emporium.

Molly got out of the car.

“See you, Mrs Potage.”

Molly went into the store as Mary drove off.

She went up to her room and laid on her bed.

It didn’t feel quite as nice as the guest bed she had just slept on the night before.


	2. Gio's still sus but the chapter's from his perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giovanni's perspective of the first chapter

Giovanni woke up in the middle of the forest, bleeding and bruised.

He coughed and rolled onto his back.

The night before had been rough, apparently.

He looked around for his duffel bag, and spotted it somewhat hidden by a large rock.

He pulled himself up onto his elbows and dragged himself over to it. Dragging himself across the rocks and sticks hurt, but he kind of needed to get to his bag.

He pushed himself up against a tree and took his shirt and shorts off. He put a new shirt and a new pair of shorts on.

He then pulled his phone out of his bag and texted his mom.

“in goof boe”

He was trying to type “I’m good now”, but that would work.

He put his phone away and put his ripped, bloody clothes into the duffel bag.

He curled up on himself and waited for his mom.

He didn’t have to wait long. He heard a voice calling out, “Giovanni!”

“‘m here, Mom.” Giovanni said weakly.

His mom rushed over to Giovanni and slung his bag over her shoulder.

She helped him to his feet, and he nearly collapsed on her.

“This was so much easier when I could carry you.” His mom said, starting to walk back, and basically dragging him.  
“You can still try, I’m not that heavy.” Giovanni said.  
“You may not be heavy, but you’re tall. You get that from your ma.”  
“Well, you wouldn’t know if I didn’t. Maybe I don’t get my height from Ma at all.”  
“Oh, you get your height from your ma, trust me. We tried to find a short guy so you wouldn’t be too tall, but it didn’t work.”  
“Obviously.”  
“Don’t get smart with me, I’ll leave you right here in the woods!”  
“You wouldn’t.”  
“Yes, I would.”  
“Then leave me.”

Giovanni’s mom looked at him, then ruffled his hair with the hand that wasn’t supporting him.

“You know I would never.” She said.  
“I do.” Giovanni said smugly.

They reached the porch.

“This was so much easier when you were a kid.” His mom said, helping Giovanni up the stairs.  
“Yeah, it was easier for me too.” Giovanni said.  
“When you were a kid, I had to do all the hard work while I carried you. Now, I have to help my beanpole of a son back to the house.”  
“You’re just saying that because you’re short.”  
“I’m offended, Giovanni Potage.”

Giovanni blew a raspberry, then nearly fell. His mom caught him before he actually fell.

“Ugh…” Giovanni groaned.

Giovanni’s mom opened the door and stepped into the doorway, supporting her almost completely limp son.

Then, there was the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Giovanni looked up and saw Molly’s bright green eyes staring into his tired pink ones.

“Bear Trap? What’re you doing here?” He asked. His voice was still weak, but the surprise and sudden kick of anxiety made him sound a bit more awake.  
“Your moms let me stay overnight because they didn’t want me to go home that late.” Molly said. 

Giovanni looked at his mom.

“Mom!” He said. His voice was weakened again, but he was still trying to sound as normal as possible. “I didn’t want her here because it isn’t safe.”  
“Well, she woulda been safer inside than outside! Would you’ve wanted her outside last night?” Giovanni’s mom said.  
“No, but you coulda driven her home.”  
“Would you want me outside last night?”

Giovanni groaned.

“No…” He muttered.  
“Your ma and I thought that it would be better for everyone if she just stayed here.” Giovanni’s mom said, a little softer.  
“I just didn’t want her to be here in the morning.”  
“I thought she woulda been asleep!”  
“I wake up early. I normally have to wake up early to get homework done before my shift.” Molly said.  
“Well, Molly, you can help yourself to anything in the fridge. I need to help Gio with something in his room.” Mary said.  
“Okay…” Molly said.

Molly went into the kitchen, and Giovanni’s mom helped Giovanni downstairs and into his room.

Giovanni collapsed into his bed, and his mom grabbed a first aid kid out of his dresser.

She sat down next to him and began applying disinfectant to his open wounds.

“Didn’t you have a scratch here last time?” Giovanni’s mom asked, applying disinfectant to a wound on his leg.  
“Mhm… Musta scratched open the scab.” Giovanni said. Now that he was in his bed and not standing up, he was a lot more tired.  
“That was still scabbed? It must’ve been worse than we thought.”  
“Mhm.”

Giovanni’s mom put gauze on the bigger wounds, and put bandages around it to hold it on. For the smaller wounds, she applied band-aids.

She picked up the first aid kit and put it back into Giovanni’s dresser. She walked back over to Giovanni’s bed and sat next to him. She tucked him in, and he curled up almost immediately.

“You’re so brave for doing this every month.” She said, gently stroking Giovanni’s hair.

Giovanni shrugged slightly.

“I do it every month, it’s not that big of a deal.” He said.  
“It is, though. I don’t know anyone else who would be willing to do this.” She said.  
“Mmm…” Giovanni said. He seemed too tired to even come up with a response.

She brushed his bangs back and kissed his forehead.

“Goodnight, Gio.” She said.  
“Night, Mom…” Giovanni said.

Giovanni’s mom got up and walked over to the door. She turned the light off and smiled slightly as she watched her son drift off.

It was hard raising a werewolf, but she did a damn good job doing so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, for those of y'all who didn't read the tags.. surprise! Gio's a werewolf! :3  
> Also, sorry this is shorter than the last chapter! The next chapter is a little shorter than this, and I probably won't write a chapter the same length or longer than the first one? Who knows?


	3. The backstory chapter

Mary and Flor knew their son was odd as soon as he was born. He had an affinity for chewing on things, and he always seemed a lot more fussy once a month. His cry was odd, more like a loud whimper than anything.

They didn’t seem to pay any attention to it, a lot of babies explored the world by using their mouths, and he was teething. 

They didn’t pay it any mind until he was about four.

He would complain about being itchy, and everything hurting, and he would be a lot more disobedient.

The first time it happened, both of them brushed it off, but when it happened about a month later, they scheduled him a doctor’s appointment for the next day.

Giovanni was sitting on the exam table, looking a bit more nervous than normal. He normally didn’t mind the doctor’s, but he seemed like he just wanted to hide in his mom’s jacket.

The doctor walked in, and she sat down in the spinny stool that all doctor’s offices seem to have.

“Hi, I’m Dr Barton, it’s very nice to meet you.” She said. “Are you Giovanni?”   
“Uh… yeah… I am…” Giovanni said, somewhat quietly.  
“Alright, so, would that make you his mom?” Dr Barton said, turning to Flor.  
“Yes, I’m his mother.” Flor said.  
“So, what brings you in here today?” Dr Barton asked.  
“Giovanni’s been complaining about being itchy and in pain. It happened a little while ago, and it happened again last night.”

Dr Barton started typing on her computer.

“How long is a little while?” She asked.  
“About a month.” Flor said.  
“Does he have any sort of rashes?”  
“Not that I’ve seen, no. My wife also looked at him and didn’t see any sort of hives.”   
“Has he been in the sun a lot? It might be a sunburn.”  
“He plays outside a lot, but he always has sunblock on.”  
“Have you introduced anything new that might be an allergen?”  
“No, there’s been nothing new.”

Dr Barton turned to Giovanni.

“So, about the pain, how would you describe it? Do you think it’s more like a sharp pain or an ache?”  
“Uhh… I guess an ache…” Giovanni said nervously.

Dr Barton typed that in.

“Okay, I’m going to go talk to another doctor, and I’ll be back soon, okay?” She said.  
“Alright.” Flor said.

Dr Barton got up and left.

Giovanni fidgeted with his hands.

“Are you okay, Honey?” Flor asked.

Giovanni shook his head.

“Do you wanna come sit over here with me?” Flor asked.  
“Yeah.” Giovanni said.

Flor got up and picked Giovanni up. She sat back down on the bench and he immediately curled up against her.

Flor smiled down at him and kissed the top of his head.

Dr Barton came back in, along with a different doctor.

He sat down on the stool.

“Hi, I’m Dr Graham, nice to meet you.” He said, extending a hand to Flor. She shook his hand. “So, I heard Giovanni’s been itchy, and in pain?”  
“Yes, today and last month.” Flor said.  
“Was he disobedient at all? Maybe a bit more loud?”  
“Yes, he was refusing to go to bed, and he didn’t want to sit down to eat dinner.”

Dr Graham looked at Giovanni.

“So, do you remember much of yesterday?” He asked.  
“Uhh… not really… I remember being itchy… and I remember my legs hurting a lot.” Giovanni said.  
“Well, this is sounding a lot like lycanthropy. Is there any history of werewolves in his family tree?” Dr Graham asked.  
“Not in my family, but he was a sperm donor.” Flor said.  
“Are you his biological mother?”   
“Yes, I am.”  
“Well, we’re going to need to take blood, but I could check for lycanthropy today, you two would just need to stick around for a little while longer.”

Flor looked at Giovanni, then back at Dr Graham.

“How much blood?” She asked.  
“Just a pint.” Dr Graham said.

Flor looked back at Giovanni.

“Would you mind giving a little blood? We can try and figure out what’s going on if you do.” Flor said.  
“Yeah, I guess…” Giovanni said.

-

About twenty minutes after Giovanni gave blood, Dr Graham came back.

“Well, it came back positive. Your son has lycanthropy.” He said.

He handed Flor a pamphlet. On the front of it, it said “Dealing with a werewolf child.”

“Everything you should know is in there, such as my number and hours. Feel free to call me if you have any questions.” He said. “Do you have any questions now?”  
“Werewolves turn every full moon, and last night was the full moon, but he didn’t turn into a werewolf.” Flor said.  
“Yes, werewolves who were born a werewolf typically start turning once they hit puberty. You can call a specialist, like myself, when he starts turning. You don’t have to worry about that now.”  
“Is he gonna be itchy and in pain until he starts turning?”  
“Yes, he will. But some lotion, a heating pad, and some ibuprofen or other pain medication should help.”  
“Thank you.”  
“It’s no problem. You can feel free to leave whenever you’re ready.”

Dr Graham got up and left the room.

Giovanni looked at his mom.

“Momma… am I really a werewolf?” He asked.  
“Yes, you are.” Flor said.

Giovanni smiled.

“Cool!”


	4. woohoo its sylvie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sylvie!! the he! he's here now, and he's a big part of the plot!

Giovanni and Sylvie were both sitting in Molly’s store while she worked the front desk. They were both sitting at her little plastic table, and they kept sending glares at each other. 

Molly was trying to keep them from arguing, but she couldn’t do anything about them either being passive aggressive or giving each other mean looks.

“So, uh, Giovanni?” Molly spoke up.  
“Hm?” Giovanni said.  
“What was up when I went over to your house…? You seemed kinda… not okay.”

Giovanni froze.

“Uhhh… I was fine…” He said, very obviously lying. “You don’t need to worry about me, it’s nothing…”  
“You don’t sound too certain.” Sylvie said.  
“Shut it, Dr Dweeb.”  
“What? I’m just calling you out for lying to your ‘favorite minion’.”  
“I’m not lying to her! I would never.”

That was a lie.

But he would never be able to admit that he wasn’t okay! Molly would worry, and he couldn’t worry his favorite minion! And she might start asking him why he wasn’t okay, and he wasn’t immune to puppy-dog eyes.

Out of everyone in their “friend group”, it was ironic that Molly was the one who did puppy-dog eyes.

“Well… you don’t have to tell me.” Molly said.   
“I’ll… tell you later, okay?” Giovanni said.  
“Okay.”

Giovanni glanced at Sylvie, who crossed his arms.

“C’mon, are you upset because I won’t tell you my secret?” Giovanni snickered.  
“No!” Sylvie said.  
“You sure? You’re throwing a tantrum.”   
“I’m not throwing a tantrum!”

Sylvie stomped his foot.

“Uh, yeah, you are. You’re throwing a temper tantrum right now.” Giovanni said, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.

However, he leaned too far back and his seat tipped over. Giovanni fell onto the floor.

Sylvie snorted and started laughing. Molly fought back a snicker.

Giovanni sat up.

“Hey, it’s not that funny!” He said.  
“It kinda is.” Molly giggled.  
“I am a respectable supervillain!”  
“Respectable? You fell out of a kiddy chair.” Sylvie said.  
“They’re easy to tip!” Giovanni said, putting his chair back up.  
“Not really, they’re actually really hard to tip.” Molly said.

Giovanni huffled, and Sylvie and Molly both laughed harder.

“Hey! Stop laughing at me!” Giovanni said.   
“I will when you stop being so easy to laugh at.” Sylvie smirked.

Giovanni rolled his eyes.

-

A few hours later, Giovanni and Sylvie were leaving. Giovanni hugged Molly and bid her goodbye, then left. Sylvie just said goodbye and started to leave.

He stopped in the doorway of the Blyndeff Toy Emporium and looked back at Molly.

“Hey, uh, if you ever need another break, you can always come over to my apartment.” Sylvie said. “Just call me first so I can tell you if I’m at work.”  
“Alright, thanks.” Molly smiled.

Sylvie left, and Molly took her spot at the front desk. She sighed and crossed her arms.

She wasn’t sure if she was even able to take Sylvie’s offer. She had to run the store, no matter what.


	5. a walk through the woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly takes Sylvie up on his offer.

Molly did eventually end up being able to take Sylvie’s offer.

One day, she was getting extremely overwhelmed, and had been since she opened. Her dad and sister were asleep already, so she decided to close up early and go to Sylvie’s apartment.

She got off the bus and knocked on his door. She had called him to say that she was coming, so she wasn’t completely unexpected.

He answered the door.

“Molly! Hi!” He said. “Come in.”

She entered his apartment.

It was small, although that was expected.

“I like your apartment.” Molly said. “It’s cozy.”  
“Thank you. Sorry if it’s a bit of a mess.” Sylvie said.  
“It’s alright, you haven’t seen my room…”

Molly chuckled lightly. 

Her room was a mess constantly. She didn’t have any time to clean it, so it was left dirty. She tried to keep it tidy, but it didn’t really work.

“So, I’ve found that the best way to vent about issues is by doing something else, so, would you like to go on a walk with me?” Sylvie asked.  
“It’s dark already, though…” Molly said.  
“You have your cellphone, and I can grab a flashlight. If anything dangerous shows up, I can protect both of us.”   
“Alright… why not?” 

-

About an hour later, Molly and Sylvie were walking through the woods. The light of the full moon and Sylvie’s flashlight were lighting their way, but it was still dark. Molly had put her phone away to keep the battery in case of an emergency.

They were talking. They had moved on from Molly venting to them just talking.

“Once, Trixie gave Feenie twenty bucks to convince her to jump off of a building to ‘train my epithet’, but she didn’t tell me that Feenie was gonna jump off the building-” Molly said, before being cut off by Sylvie shushing her.

“I heard something…” Sylvie whispered.

He handed Molly his flashlight and pulled his yo-yo out of his pocket and held it out in front of him.

“Who’s there?” Sylvie asked. His tone was even, although still loud. If it was an animal, he didn’t want to anger it. If it was a person, he was trying to show that he was the one in charge.

There was a louder rustle. Sylvie backed up a bit so he was standing next to Molly, but his hand stayed steady.

A big wolf walked in front of them.

They were dark grey, and seemed a lot larger and more muscular than a normal wolf. They had eerily familiar bright pink eyes that Sylvie and Molly were sure they recognized from somewhere, but neither of them could figure out where they recognized it from.

They were bleeding from their back leg, and had a bleeding bite mark on their front upper leg.

“Is that a… werewolf?” Sylvie asked, lowering his yo-yo and adjusting his glasses so he could get a better look.

The werewolf drew closer, and started circling them both, limping just the tiniest bit.

Sylvie slowly pulled his yo-yo out and watched the werewolf circling him.

“I had a class on werewolves once, you have to stay calm. Try not to scare them.” Sylvie said quietly.  
“Okay…” Molly said.

The werewolf stopped circling them, then sniffed both Molly and Sylvie.

They backed up slightly, then pounced just the tiniest bit.

“What does that mean?” Molly asked.  
“It means that the werewolf trusts us. I think they want to play.” Sylvie said, putting his yo-yo in his pocket.

He picked a stick up off the ground and threw it. The werewolf went running after it.

“It should be safe for us to leave now.” Sylvie said.  
“Well, they seem lonely… and they’re hurt.” Molly said, gesturing to the werewolf who was running back.  
“Molly, they’re a werewolf. They might be a person, but they’re not right now.”  
“But they’ll still be injured when they turn back, and I might as well try and help.” 

The werewolf began scratching at a tree, then at themself.

“No, the wounds will heal with transformation.” Sylvie lied.

He didn’t like lying to his best and only friend, but he really wanted to get her out of there. It wasn’t safe. The werewolf might’ve been friendly, but they could attack at any second. Werewolves weren’t predictable, and Sylvie was just preparing for the worst.

“No, don’t lie to me. I know this!” Molly said.  
“How would you know I was lying?” Sylvie asked.  
“My best friend, Trixie, told me about werewolves. Her cousin’s a werewolf.”  
“Ah. Well, I’m sorry. Werewolves can be unpredictable, and I don’t want it to hurt you.”   
“Sylvie, I’ll be fine. I promise!”

She slowly started walking towards the werewolf, holding her hand out like she was approaching a dog.

The werewolf ran up to her and licked her face.

She looked at the werewolf cautiously, then pet them slowly.

She looked back at Sylvie.

“I think they like me.” She giggled.

Sylvie slowly stepped next to Molly, and the werewolf walked up next to them.

The werewolf started growling lightly. Sylvie took a step back, and the werewolf barked loudly at him.

It sounded somewhat like a word.

“Dork.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops.


	6. sunrise (or moonset?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly and Sylvie find out something they shouldn't have.

Sylvie and Molly had stayed with the werewolf all night.

Surprisingly, neither of them got tired. Probably from the rush of adrenaline they both got from being around the werewolf, because, like Sylvie had said, “Werewolves can be unpredictable”.

Molly elbowed Sylvie right as the werewolf began to get a bit restless.

She pointed at the moon, which was beginning to set.

“Do we leave?” Molly asked.  
“I don’t know… we should probably leave to respect the werewolf’s privacy.” Sylvie said.  
“Well, I kinda wanna know who we’ve been with all night…”  
“But we might know them, and if I was a werewolf, I wouldn’t want someone to find out through this.”  
“They seemed like a full-grown wolf, though. I don’t know too many adults, and they might need our help.”  
“Molly, not all werewolves turn wearing clothes.”

They kept going back and forth, until a quiet, raspy voice interrupted them.

“Bear Trap? Dr Dweeb?”

Molly and Sylvie both turned to see Giovanni leaned against a tree, bleeding from his arm, leg, and lower torso.

His clothes (Sylvie breathed a small breath of relief in seeing that he had them) were tattered, and his hair was a total mess. Well, more of a mess than normal, which was impressive in a strange way.

“Giovanni?” Sylvie said at the same time as Molly, who said “Boss?”

Giovanni tried to pull himself into a sitting position, but failed and slipped.

“What’re you two doing here…? It’s really early…” Giovanni said.  
“We’ve been here all night…” Molly said.  
“Why? You should’ve left, it’s not safe for you to be around a werewolf…”  
“That’s what I tried to tell her, but she insisted we stay.” Sylvie said.  
“Can it, dweeb…” Giovanni said.

He was still incredibly weak, and his voice showed it. He was trying to hold himself up by his elbows, but his arms were shaking.

“Boss, do you need help? I can go run and find a first-aid kit somewhere…” Molly said.  
“No, I’m fine, just please leave..” Giovanni said.  
“You’re not fine, what can I do to help?”  
“Leave. Please, I’m fine, I swear…”

Giovanni tried to sit up, but winced and grabbed his side, where he was bleeding.

“You don’t look fine.” Sylvie said.  
“Seriously, I’m fine…” Giovanni said.

He looked between them, then sighed.

“Molly. I’m commanding you, as your boss, to go home.” He said. 

His voice was still weak, but he was sounding as stern as possible.

Molly looked at him for a second.

“No.” She said. “You told me to stand up for myself, and I’m standing up for myself now.”

He sighed.

“Okay. Just let me call my mom.” He said, slightly dragging himself across the forest floor.

-

“Great… This is just great…” Giovanni muttered.

He pulled his duffel bag out from inside a rotten tree stump, and pulled his phone out.

His hand had blood on it, and he was getting blood on his phone, but that wasn’t too much of a concern. He had gotten blood on things before, he knew how to clean it. Also, it wasn’t that much. He could probably wipe it off with a baby wipe.

He went to his mom’s contact and called her.

While the phone was ringing, he looked at Molly and Sylvie, both of whom were looking at him, concerned.

His mom picked up.

“Giovanni? Are you okay?” She asked.  
“Yeah, I’m fine, but I’m not alone…” Giovanni said.  
“What do you mean ‘not alone’?”  
“Bear Trap and her friend are here.”  
“How long have they been there?”  
“All night, apparently.”  
“Are they hurt at all?”

Giovanni looked at Molly and Sylvie, scanning them quickly. Both of them seemed to be injury-free.

“I don’t think so…” Giovanni said.  
“Good. Can you get them to leave?” His mom asked.  
“I’ve been trying… they won’t leave.”

Giovanni’s mom sighed.

“I’m coming, give me a minute.” She said.  
“Alright, bye, Mom.” Giovanni said.  
“Love you.”  
“Love you too.”

Giovanni hung up the phone and put it in his duffel bag. 

He put it on top of the clean t-shirt and shorts in his bag.

He wished he could’ve put them on, but he really didn’t want to have to change in front of Molly and Sylvie, even though the clothes he was wearing were ripped to shreds.

“My mom’s coming.” Giovanni said.  
“Good.” Sylvie said. “I don’t know if Molly or I could help with serious medical problems, Molly could maybe help, but that could risk an infection.”  
“Didn’t know you cared about me that much, Dr Dweeb…”   
“You’re bleeding. A lot. You need medical attention.”  
“I don’t know if you’ve grasped this yet, but I’m a werewolf. This happens a lot, I’m used to being this injured…”

Before Sylvie could respond, Giovanni’s mom came into the forest.

She spotted Giovanni and ran over to him, ignoring Molly and Sylvie.

“Gio, did you not change?” She asked.  
“No, mom, I couldn’t, I haven’t been alone.” Giovanni said.  
“You know what your doctor said!”  
“I know, I have to change because the clothes I’m wearing are dirty and something could get infected.”  
“Well, c’mon.”

Giovanni’s mom bent down next to him, and he slung his arm over her shoulder. She grabbed his bag and put it over her other shoulder.

She stood up and he leaned on her. 

She looked at Molly and Sylvie for the first time.

“You two can follow me back to the house, I can make you two breakfast.” Giovanni’s mom said.  
“Alright, ma’am…” Molly said.  
“Okay.” Sylvie said.

The walk back was silent.

It was devoid of any banter between Giovanni and his mom, any bickering between Giovanni and Sylvie, nor Giovanni and his mother giving Molly (very different) life advice.

There was an awkward silence filling the air.

Giovanni’s mom reached the porch and opened the door.

“Hey, Flor, I’ll make breakfast if you help Gio.” Giovanni’s mom said.  
“Alright, deal.” Giovanni’s ma said.

She got up from the couch and walked over to them.

“What’re they doing here?” Giovanni’s ma asked, looking at Molly and Sylvie.  
“Long story, I’ll explain it to you later.” Giovanni’s mom said.  
“Alright…”

Giovanni stood up, and his ma slid her arm under his and helped him downstairs and into his room.

Giovanni collapsed into his bed, and his ma grabbed his first aid kit out of his dresser.

She sat down next to him. He took his shirt off and tried to throw it into a laundry basket, but missed by a lot.

“I’ll get that.” Giovanni’s ma said, opening the first aid kit.

She looked at the one on his side first. It was bleeding. A lot.

“This one’s pretty bad…” She said.  
“It was scabbed, but now it’s not.” Giovanni said. “I think it's been scabbed for a while but I keep scratching it open…”  
“That’s not good… should I call your doctor about it?”  
“Maybe…”

She wiped off the blood, applied the disinfectant, and put a bandage on it. She did the same for the injuries on his arm and leg, too.

She moved the blankets out from under Giovanni and tucked him in.

“Night, Gio. I love you.” She whispered.  
“Night, Ma. Love you too.” He whispered back.

She got up and picked his shirt up off of the floor. She put it in his hamper and flipped the lights off. He fell asleep right as she closed his door.

-

“Alright… What do you two want for breakfast?” Mary asked.  
“I’m alright with anything.” Molly said.  
“Me too.” Sylvie said.  
“Jeez, you two are easy. Do you like bacon?”   
“Mhm.”  
“Yeah.”  
“Good.”

While Mary made bacon, Sylvie and Molly both thought over both the night before and all the interactions they’ve had with Giovanni. 

It was so strange to think that their friend (well, Molly’s friend) was a werewolf.

Mary put a plate of bacon down in front of both of them and sat down next to Molly with her own plate of bacon.

“Thank you.” Both Sylvie and Molly said.  
“You’re welcome!” Mary said.

They all started eating.

Molly put her fork down.

“So… is this what was happening last time I came over?” She asked.  
“Yeah… he didn't want you to be here so you wouldn’t find out, or, god forbid, get hurt. His ‘boys’ didn’t know for a long time, and they only found out ‘cause his ma and I needed to be out of town and someone needed to help him. One of his boys doesn’t even know.” Mary said. “So, don’t take this lightly. It’s a big secret.”  
“Great. I didn’t wanna be trusted with a criminal’s biggest secret, but now I guess I am.” Sylvie muttered.  
“Hey, it’s not his fault you found out. You two were the ones in the woods during a full moon. You should be lucky that you got off without a scratch on you.” Mary said.

Sylvie adjusted his glasses.

“How did we get off scratch free? I believe Giovanni himself ended up with a few scratches, and after I got a good look at his bare arms, he has a fair amount of scars.” He said.  
“Yeah, trust me. He’s got scars. And maybe he just liked you so much it carried over.” Mary shrugged.  
“Does he not attack you…?” Molly asked.  
“Oh, I haven’t been around him during the full moon since the first night he turned, and that was about… seven years ago? I don’t know if he would attack me or his ma.” Mary said.

Hm.

“This is… interesting… werewolves are proven to be violent around people, but he wasn’t violent at all, besides growling at me a few times.” Sylvie said.  
“It’s maybe because of what Mrs Potage said, ‘maybe he just liked us so much it carried over.’” Molly said.  
“Yeah-” Sylvie said, cutting himself off with a yawn. “Maybe… he doesn’t like me very much, though.”  
“Wait, you two were with Giovanni all night, right?” Mary asked.

“Yes, we were.” Sylvie said at the same time as Molly said; “Yes, ma’am.”

“So, neither of you slept all night?” Mary asked.  
“No, we didn’t. But I’m used to not sleeping, I have to run the store a lot… and I have the night shift… and the day shift…” Molly chuckled.  
“Come on, I’ll show you both to a room so you can get some sleep. Both of you need it.”

Mary got up, and Sylvie and Molly followed suit. She led them both upstairs, and pointed to two doors.

“That room right there’s a double, and the other one’s a twin. Sorry, but only one of you’s gotta sleep on the twin.” Mary said.

Molly glanced at Sylvie.

“I can take the twin. I don’t mind.” She said.  
“Alright, well, Flor and I’ll be downstairs if you need us. Some of Gio’s friends might come over later, by the way.” Mary said.  
“Thank you, Ms Potage.” Molly said.  
“Thanks.” Sylvie said.  
“No problem. Now you two better get some sleep.” Mary said.  
“We will.” Sylvie said.

Mary went downstairs, and Molly and Sylvie went into the doorways of the rooms they would be staying in. They didn’t enter the rooms, however. They both turned to look at the other.

“So… today was weird.” Sylvie said.  
“Tell me about it… Well… I’m gonna get some sleep.” Molly said.  
“Goodnight, Molly.”  
“Night, Sylvie.”

They both entered the rooms and laid down in their beds.

Molly hugged her pillow and fell asleep decently quickly. Sylvie curled up in the middle of his bed, seeming to take up as little space as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoo.. this one was long. Not as long as the first chapter (a little over 7 pages) but still pretty long (~5.5 pages)!


End file.
